Bruins Dominate Blackhawks, Take 2-1 Series Lead
By Chuck Sudo in News on Jun 18, 2013 3:00PM
The Blackhawks are saying all the right things after Monday night’s 2-0 loss to Boston in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals at the TD Garden. But the fact remains the Bruins have been the better team throughout the series and, as evidenced by some scrums late in the game, the frustration is starting to mount.
The Blackhawks glaring inability to generate any sort of offense is becoming the major theme of this series and the Bruins’ defense and tough physical play is the reason for those woes. Goalie Tuukka Rask made 28 saves and the Hawks were pummeled with checks on the boards at every opportunity. Chicago’s scoreless drought now stands at 122 minutes, 26 seconds and they were without Marian Hossa, who was scratched with an “upper body injury.” Hossa’s status isn’t known for Game 4 Wednesday.
After a scoreless first period that saw Rask and Hawks goalie Corey Crawford engaged in a wonderful battle between the pipes, Boston scored in the second period with a pretty shot by Daniel Paille, who corralled a loose puck and snapped it past Crawford’s glove at the 2:13 mark. Patrice Bergeron made it 2-0 with a power play goal 14:05 into the second period, set up by nice passes in front of the net by Zdeno Chara and Jaromir Jagr.
While Rask and Crawford held down their goals in the final period, the Blackhawks began to get chippy late in the game. Bryan Bickell and Chara were assessed minors for roughing with 12 seconds left in regulation. Andrew Shaw and Boston’s Brad Marchand earned five-minute fighting penalties.
The loss puts the Blackhawks in a 2-1 hole with Game 4 set for Wednesday and history is not in favor of teams who lose a Game 3 in the Finals. Teams who win Game 2 after splitting the first two games have gone on to capture the Stanley Cup 84 percent of the time.
If the Blackhawks want to buck those odds, they need to figure out how to score. Never mind their anemic power play numbers (they were 0-for-5 with a man advantage last night), Chicago isn’t even attacking the net. The Hawks put up 28 shots on goal but many of those opportunities were on the perimeter, making Rask’s job much easier. Daily Herald sports columnist Barry Rosner called on WSCR-AM this morning for the Hawks to get more physical and jam up the net in front of Rask. While having some traffic in front of the Bruins goalie is a good idea, the Hawks didn’t get this far by playing “eye for an eye” hockey. For a team that prides itself on smart passing and puck possession, the Blackhawks have been schooled thus far by Boston, who made very few passing miscues in the series.
The Hawks now find themselves echoing the same sentiments they expressed when they found themselves down 3-1 to Detroit. “Time's running out,” defenseman Duncan Keith said. “We've got to get a goal. I think we just have to come up with a big game and find a way to win.”